Sometimes I almost feel sorry for Bob Beckel … almost. I do admire his courage for being the lone liberal on Hannity’s “Great American Panel” on Fox News.

Tonight, he’s in the position of defending Obama’s silence regarding the popular uprising in Iran related to that country’s recent election. Beckel stated that he felt Obama was advised to remain quiet to prevent the current regime from having an excuse to crack down harder on the protesters. He stated that he felt Obama making a statement in favor of the protesters would give the regime an excuse to blame the current uprisings on the United States and it would, as a consequence, deal more harshly with the protesters.

Who else thinks that the current paranoid government of Iran actually needs an excuse to blame the current uprising on the United States or any other western power? It has never appeared to me that the current despotic government of Iran has needed any excuse to blame the United States for any and everything that they couldn’t deal with intelligently.

According to a recent report, as many as 28 million people in Iran may have voted against Ahmadenejad as opposed to the less than 7 million who were reported to have voted for him. Those are fairly impressive numbers … more than 4 to 1 against the current Iranian leader. It’s highly unlikely that 28 million Iranians have all of a sudden become pro American. After more than 30 years of oppression by their despotic government, it’s much more likely that the 28 million are simply voting against their current rulers and simply prefer anything or anyone rather than who’s in power now.

So, the question really is, “Is President Obama protecting the protesters from greater oppression and harm; or, is he simply dropping the ball by not providing them with moral support and encouragement that they may desperately need?” What’s wrong with the leader of America simply stating that America favors free and open elections where evey qualified person’s vote counts … in any country? Has he forgotten that this very premise is the reason the United States of America was founded, the reason for the American Revolution, the desire for the American colonists to have representation and not feel disenfranchised by their government? Apparently, voicing the founding principle of this country sticks in President Obama’s craw. Fear of the reaction of a two bit dictator in Iran quells him into silence.

Apparently, hundreds of Iranians may have already lost their lives in the ongoing protests with thousands more injured and jailed. Does the Iranian government really need an excuse to crack down further on the protesters? Those Iranian protesters have infinitely more courage than our president.

The deafening silence of the current administration does send a message … both to Americans and Iranians. If the election in Iran was so corrupt that millions of Iranians feel the election was stolen from them, the United States government led by the Obama administration will do nothing, not even by simply providing a verbal message of support for free and honest elections in that country.

So, Bob Beckel finds himself in the position of somehow having to defend the Obama administration for remaining silent to “protect” the protesters.

Where would we be today if Ronald Reagan had not said, “Mr. Gorbechev, tear down this wall.”? Would the Berliners have had the courage to eventually confront their communist oppressors and bring the end to the division of Germany and the eventual destruction of the “Iron Curtain” that imprisoned Eastern Europe for most of my lifetime? It’s entirely possible that they and other eastern Europeans might have reached the same point today without the encouragement of President Reagan. But, it’s also a definite fact that every action that President Reagan took was aimed at that goal … to assist the Eastern Europeans in obtaining their freedom … and his speeches and actions didn’t hinder the process.

Well, as far as foreign policy and diplomacy are concerned, Barack Obama isn’t even in the same ballpark with Ronald Reagan. He doesn’t even hold a candle to the bungling JFK. At least Kennedy had the courage of his convictions even if he bungled repeatedly due to his naivety.

The current situation in Iran and the lack of response from Obama brings into question exactly what Barack Obama’s convictions are; or, if he, in fact, has any.This man makes the timid Jimmy Carter look like Atilla the Hun … and that’s pretty amazing.

12 Responses

I agreed with Beckel’s take. Iran has many pro-US people, or at least not anti-US, but to the fence-sitters, open involvement by our government in their unrest will turn them. We can all hope for the best and get regime change there, but it is not our place, nor is it wise to be directly involved as it will further galvanize the region against us. Our best stance is to be seen, but not heard. If a new regime is instituted, we can then pour in our support.

I think Iraq’s regime change has shown the Iranians that they can change the 1979 uprising, and form a government that still observes and respects religion, but that can be more democratic.

Obama said he wanted to stay out of the Iranian election affairs at the beginning of their protests and wouldn’t comment; then, a week later, after the world sees a picture of a young Iranian woman bleeding to death in the street, he pulls a complete 180 degree about face condemning the violence of the government and voices support for the demonstrators AND; then … he claims that he had always voiced support for the demonstrators and always condemned the governent actions!!

How is this “playing his cards right”?

I’ll tell you one thing it is. It’s typical Barack Obama. I’ve run into a lot of con artists in my lifetime but this guy takes the cake. People watch him drop cards out of his sleeves and he can still convince them he’s not cheating. It’s amazing.

I think if you go back to his actual words — remember, he’s a lawyer and wordsmith — he indicated he wanted zero US involvement in this, but felt compassion for the people, especially after the violence, and wished them the best. This is still a far cry from supporting protest and revolt.

I’ll agree with you there. I have never seen a person who has accomplished so little rise to such height, only to have honest people look at him and understand he’s full of bull.

I have a lawyer in the family, and constantly hear him dodge and weave around conversations, much like Obama. As a business person who is interested in the bottom line, this irks me, so when I see him do it, I get right into yes/no mode, leaving no wiggle room. I’d love to see the same treatment of Obama.

I once met a Radiology resident who had been a lawyer “in a previous life”. Talking about some hemming and hedging about what was actually on an X-Ray …
Totally worthless interpretation. Give me Gary Cooper in “High Noon” any day. If you recall, the Judge/lawyer was one of the first to “skedaddle” out of town.

I came to you through America’s Watchtower. I tend to be a militant moderate, non-partisan, but honestly seem to tick to the right of center on most issues. My site tend to blab a bit. Some day, I’ll get to my points more clearly.

The answer to our problems? Get all of the politicians of both parties rounded up into DC. Attract all the right and left wing zealots/bloggers/etc. to meet there too. Move NBC (all of them) CBS, ABC, Fox (all of them) to Washington. Build a huge dike around the whole slimy pile of garbage, fill it with naplam, and hire 5,000 pyromaniacs and provide them with a years supply of matches to guard the cesspool. Oh, and offer a bonus for the one that strikes the first match.